Shore Theatre

Mark W. would you please repost of recent (Summer 2004) interior photos of the Shore/Loew’s Coney Island. The links from your post on Feb 7, 2006 at 3:19pm are no longer valid. Thanks

Thanks, ken mc.

Nice shots, Warren. It seems the Pizzeria is only occupying the stage area (or portion thereof). I meant to post the other day that I noticed the Shore in the background of several crowd shots during the Hot Dog eating contest at Nathan’s on the 4th. The crowd stretched way back, easily as far as the pizzeria entrance at the rear of the Shore.

There is some info and pics here if anyone is interested in the parachute jump.
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Scaffolding has gone up around the entrance to this theatre on Surf Ave. Anyone know why?

RobertR… Many of the theaters in that ad were already showing porn or about to, but it’s interesting that the film was booked into the Carnegie Hall Cinemas! I suppose many “straight” theaters dabbled here and there in during the porn chic era.

On a small side note… at the lower part of that page below the RKO block, a small ad shows the St. Marks Cinema playing Ken Russell’s “The Devils” along with Peter Brooks' fascinating adaptation of the play “Marat/Sade”. I caught these two films on a double bill some 10 or 12 years later when the Hollywood Twin on 8th Ave was showing revival. I find it interesting to learn that they had been previously paired at the St. Marks.

1972 the shore as part of an “Adult Showcase”, look at how it looks like an art film.
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Thanks, Bway. Such strong mixed emotions … the beauty of what was, the ruin that it is now, yet, gratitude for what has survived.

All I can say is I was there legally.

May I ask how you gained entry, Mark? Or is that information classified?

I agree with you on that Ed. I lived in the Coney Island area for a good deal of my life. I beleave the building is owned by Horrace Bullock. He is the guy who owns Kansas Fried Chicken. He was also supposed to buy some property from a man named Hy Singer who owned the lot where Stuches Arcade used to be. Thhe building had about 400 building code violations and he backed out of the deal and the property on the other part of the block is owned by who ever owns Nathans and they were not willing to sell. Mr Bullock was hoping to build a self encloed ammusment park extending from Stillwell Ave to West 21st that would have included a renovatrion of the Abe Stark Skating Rink. This plan went wel lback before the city and the NY Mets made plans to have a minor league team play in what used to be Steeplechase Park. The main reason for the redevelopement of the area is that on one hand Coney is getting flooded with Russian imigrants and from Stillwell and west the high rise apartments are mostly welfare except for Sea Gate.

Wow I almost want to cry knowing that it is not totaly destroyed. Do you know if by chance the stage rigging is still there? I know there used to be a plan to turn it in to a casino if they ever legalized gambeling in NY.

Wow. I grew up 3 blocks from the Lowes Coney Island. I was there when it became the Shore and then a bingo hall. From what i know Horrace Bullock the owner of Kansas fried chicken fast food place owns the building. He was hoping to also build an amusement park south of Neptune Avenue From Stillwell to where Steeplechase Park used to be but the plans fell through no thanks in part to High Singer. Three blocks over on W 17st used to stand the RKO Tilyou. It was named after the builder of Steeplechace park that closed it’s doord Sep 21 1964 and soon after the RKO Tilyou closed and was demolished.